News

Jennie-O Turkey Store Sales,has issued a recall for approximately 91,388 pounds of raw ground turkey products that may be associated with an illness outbreak of Salmonella. There is a concern that some product may be frozen and in consumers’ freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith is advising residents where wildfires have been burning, along with people in the smoke’s path, to stay indoors and reduce outdoor activity.

Eating healthy this Thanksgiving begins with basic home food safety practices that are known to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses. The Monterey County Health Department is reminding all cooks entering the kitchen this season to follow the Fight BAC!® basics of home food safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.

After a Wild Fire – Your Water Supply

Boil your water until you have completed an assessment, made any necessary repairs, and sample results show the water is absent for coliform. If system lost pressure or repairs are made, disinfect before testing. See Disinfection and Boil Water Order instructions

Assessment:

For physical damage or a loss in pressure, perform a visual inspection of your well, spring, or surface water intake and all other pipes and appurtenances which work together to bring water into your household. The things you should be looking for include:

Damage to electrical wires and connectors which supply power to your water system

Damage to above ground PVC pipes used with the well to bring water to your home

Damage to well houses and equipment such as chlorinators, filters, or controls

Damage to sanitary seal or damage to surface water intake structure

Damage to pressure tanks which could have been caused by exposure to excessive heat

Damage to storage tanks, vents and overflow pipes

If any damage is found, you should contact the appropriate licensed contractor or driller to repair the damage.

Plan for a storm event

If your water clarity is affected by typical rain events, we advise the well to be turned off and surface water systems to close or remove intake structure. This will prevent clogging and introduction of debris into the water system

Know your neighbor – Get to know neighboring water systems, plan on how neighboring water systems can help each other during an emergency.

Create storage: create 5-10 days of water storage. While it may be difficult to do this alone, if neighboring systems join together it is possible.

What to expect of the surface water source after a storm event:

Sediment – the first few storms will carry sediment loads up to 10 times normal

Flow volume- Due to the loss of vegetation, the flows will be up to 2 times greater than before

Flow Rate – The high sediment causes a smoother faster flow. This quick speed can cause quick transfer of debris

Ash- Ash can clog pipes and become a haven for breeding microbes, chlorine reacts with ash to form by products that are harmful.

Changes in taste, color, odor- you may notice that your water tastes or smells earthy, smoky or burnt and you may need to thoroughly flush your water lines.

Samplers/Operators

Click here for a list of Operators with whom Monterey County Health Department, Environmental Health Bureau, (MCHD, EHB) has recently worked. The list may not be complete and should only be used as a guide. MCHD, EHB does not endorse or recommend any of the following samplers/operators over other samplers/operators that are not listed. MCHD, EHB recommends that you question prospective samplers/operators about their experience and certification licenses to make sure their licenses are current and meet the minimum requirements of your water system. You can check the status of a license at www.waterboards.ca.gov.

Collecting Bacteriological Water Samples

If possible, collect samples at cold-water faucets that are free of contaminating devices such as screens, aeration devices, hoses, point-of-use devices, or swiveled faucets. If you must use a tap that has a screen or an aeration device, remove these before taking your sample. Do not obtain samples from taps that leak around the valve stem and allow water to flow over the outside of the tap. This leakage could be a significant source of external contamination of the sample. Faucets must be high enough to put the bottle underneath without contacting the mouth of the container with the faucet.

Taking the sample:

Open the faucet and thoroughly flush the line for at least two to five minutes. The longer the water runs the better the chance of flushing out bacteria that may be in the building plumbing.

Reduce the flow until the water leaving the tap has a continuous, gentle flow without any turbulence.

Sterile containers provided by your laboratory must be used. Label the sample with the System Name recognized by the county (found at the upper left corner of your Water Inspection Report). Do not rinse the bottle prior to taking the sample. The powder in the bottle is sodium thiosulfate that inactivates any chlorine-based disinfectant. Be sure this substance stays in the bottle.

Remove the cap from the sample bottle and keep it in your hand facing down. Do not touch the inside of the cap or the bottle’s inner surface as these actions can contaminate the sample.

Carefully place the sample bottle under the running water. Fill the bottle just to the fill-line; do not overfill the sample bottle or allow the water to splash.

Quickly replace the cap on the bottle and label the sample clearly. If samples cannot be delivered to the lab immediately, place samples in a cooler with cold packs. If ice is used, at no time should the sample container be immersed or submerged in the ice or melted ice water. The sample must be delivered to the laboratory within 24 hours from the time of collection.

If contamination of the sample tap is suspected:

Scrub the outside and inside of the tap with a plastic-bristled brush to loosen any attached debris.

Open the faucet and thoroughly flush the line for at least two to five minutes and then turn the tap off.

Swab the tap with a disinfectant such as bleach and wait for one to two minutes.

Continue with the sampling procedures described above, starting with #1 (“Open the faucet…”).